Pardon Me
by revenge and rebirth
Summary: Kiba knows that Hinata can be a little shy around Naruto, so he decides to offer his guidance. 'Trust me,' he says. 'You don't have anything to worry about,' he says. 'I understand the male mind,' he says.
1. A Little Help

**Disclaimer**: I _guess_ Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sensei. But I can always dream about owning Kiba, now can't I?

**Pardon Me...  
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The sun was blazing high above Konoha and its rays seemed to have it in for Inuzuka Kiba—and he would readily swear by it. He rubbed the back of his neck, wincing as his hot skin stung under his fingers.

However, he did take comfort in the fact that Hinata was not waiting outside the Hyuuga manor as he came closer to it, which meant she was late, which meant he would have to go inside to retrieve her, which meant he would be offered a cold drink in the process.

And he skipped a little as he bound up the stairs—though he'd never admit it—and knocked on the front door.

"Kiba-san, welcome," a Hyuuga servant bowed as she let him enter the house. It was cool inside. "It is very hot today. Would you like a cold drink?"

He mentally pumped his fist in victory. "Yeah, thanks," he replied.

He sipped on ice water as he made his way to the back of the house. It seemed to be empty and he could hear his own footsteps echo throughout the quiet hallways. As he moved nearer to the courtyard, he could hear Hinata and Neji.

They were training, and Kiba waved her over, but she was determined to continue. She had that look, that "scary training look" as Kiba described it to Shino once, and he was hesitant to force her to stop. But even Neji wouldn't let her go on.

"You at least need a break," he told her as he blocked her last hit, slightly out of breath himself. Kiba mused with the idea of Neji being the one who needed the break; he almost laughed aloud at the image of a deathly-tired Neji, crawling on the floor, panting heavily... "And I believe you promised Kiba a lunch date?"

Kiba glowed. "That's right! My treat!" he exclaimed, throwing a casual arm around her shoulders. She was exhausted, he could tell, as she buckled slightly under the weight.

Neji nodded in response, never being one for much conversation anyways, and Kiba and Hinata left the manor. They walked down the street for a while before Hinata began squirming under Kiba's arm.

"Alright, alright," he laughed, letting her go. "You okay? You seem a little quiet… and antsy."

She didn't answer him, but he could see the signs of a painful blush creeping across her pale cheeks. She was looking down and it could only mean…

_Naruto!_

Before he could say another word, the blond ninja passed the two, waving behind his head as he sped by, even sticking his tongue out at Kiba. In the same very second, Kiba grabbed Hinata's elbow instinctively before she could disappear in the complete opposite direction.

"Ch…" He grabbed her shoulders and began pushing her down the street, though only a little surprised at how difficult the action was. She certainly was strong when she wanted to be.

"Kiba-kun… I'm not very hungry anymore…" her small voice came from in front of him.

He did not stop. "Aw, whaddaya mean you're not hungry?"

"I don't know, I'm just—" She was stopped by a loud grumble and Kiba knew it wasn't _his_ stomach shaking the very ground under them.

"_Mhm_…" Kiba mumbled, disbelieving, raising an eyebrow as Hinata reddened.

She allowed him to steer her in the direction of the main street of the village, but she would not step anywhere within the close proximity of Ichiraku's ramen shop and no amount of Kiba's force could move her.

All the same, he wasn't in the mood for ramen; he rather wanted a cheeseburger. They sat themselves in one of the restaurants and Hinata took to staring at a fascinating spot on their table. Kiba watched her with mild interest before taking a deep breath.

"You're still very shy when it comes to Naruto," he said, quite bluntly.

She flushed at the mere mention of Naruto's name. "I don't—I—well…" Unable to get a coherent sentence out, she still nodded, frowning slightly at the heat that reached her cheeks.

He stared at her for a while, before sitting back and placing his arms behind his head. He closed his eyes in thought. "You know… all you need is some confidence, Hinata! You're great, you just need to show that blockhead that you are, you know?"

The spot on their table was more interesting than ever and Hinata looked truly lost for words.

Kiba opened one bleary eye and looked at her. When she didn't answer, he continued. "I can help you… Yeah, I can!" He leaned towards her, wagging a finger at her. "I understand the _male mind_," he said mistily, jabbing himself on the temple.

Her eyes widened with surprise and, for a brief moment, she made the mistake of thinking Kiba was fooling around with her. "Um… Kiba-kun…?"

"Really, Hinata! I can help! If you take my guidance I know you can nab him! Just a thing here, a thing there, you know... I'll take care of it, I will! You don't have anything to worry about."

She looked uncertain. "I don't know, Kiba… I don't think—"

He smiled, reaching over to place a hand over hers. "Trust me. He won't know what hit him."

She was feeling increasingly uneasy as Kiba continued to think aloud, muttering to himself and occasionally exclaiming "Yes!" and "Oh yeah!" and "Yahoo!" A few times, she felt the urge to slip away from him, maybe return to training, but she was so very hungry and the smell of grilling hamburgers was making her stomach grumble.

Kiba was in his own thoughts, resting his head on his hand and rambling on. He soon came to a quick decision and he grinned devilishly. "Hinata! We have to get started right away!"

"What?" she asked, though she had heard him perfectly, maybe her mind was playing tricks on her… or her stomach might have been, in deliberate protest.

"I've come up with Plan…one!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms up, thoroughly pleased with himself. "Come on, we gotta get a move on!"

"_What_?" she groaned, her eyes flying over to the kitchen of the restaurant. The chef was bustling around the stove and the countertops, chopping vegetables and flipping meat…

"Come on, come on!" Kiba went on, grabbing Hinata's hand and trying to forcefully drag her away from the table. She hung on for her dear life, but he was stronger than her and he managed to pry her fingers from the table and drag her off. Staring longingly towards the restaurant, she watched as it faded away in the distance and the smell of grilling meat disappeared into the air.

"Oh… _food_…" she whispered sadly, her voice too low for Kiba to detect, especially in the crazed state he was currently in. She noticed his mumbling had started again and she knew his mind was working at top speeds.

His ideas were always absolutely insane and she feared for her life a little, but tried to have at least some faith in her best friend. Though she was frightened, she couldn't deny his words had not stirred a feeling inside of her. If he could actually help her…

"Where are we going, Kiba-kun?" she chanced asking him.

He looked at her, his eyes gleaming. "To Shino's!" he replied, smiling. "I don't think he's home, so we can raid his closet and make Naruto fall for you!"

She silently doubted whether she had heard him correctly.

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Author's Note: It goes without saying that I would like you to review (: Please and thank you. 


	2. The Missing Doorknob

**Author's Note:** Arigatou for all the support[:

**Disclaimer: **It's all Kishimoto-sensei's, I suppose… but I still get to keep my Kakashi/Iruka pencil case! Yes, I have a Kakashi/Iruka pencil case. :v

**Pardon Me…**  
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She stared at herself in Shino's tall mirror, or at least she stared at what little was left of her. Only her eyes could be seen over the layers of clothing Kiba had thrown at her and forced her into.

She was drowning in a coat that was much too long for her and much too high as it passed her nose and went down to her calves. Kiba had made sure she wore the hood, too. Tilting her head to the side, she squinted at her reflection as if it would look a little better through blurry eyes.

She was, of course, completely wrong and a little foolish for thinking so.

And if she bothered to look around, even just a little, Shino's entire closet now found its place on the floor in mounds and piles of long coats. The door was still open and spewing the occasional shoe or pair of sunglasses. They came with a frenzied mumbling Hinata was beginning to get used to.

She frowned into Shino's too-large coat. Shino wouldn't be too pleased with Kiba, either, she realized sadly. She feared for Kiba's life, almost.

"See, Hinata, you look great!"

Kiba appeared by her side in the mirror; he had placed a hand on his hip, his fingers holding a pair of dark sunglasses. He grinned devilishly.

Hinata stared at him. "Kiba-kun…" She felt very uncertain about his choice in wardrobe for her.

He rested his other arm on her shoulder, almost causing her to buckle down with his weight. She looked at him, her eyes wide, though she seriously doubted he could even see her.

"Lesson one, Hinata. Men like women of _mystery_. Men like women who keep them guessing, who have this air of… of… strange _wonder_. When Naruto sees you like this, he won't be able to keep his questions from flying out of his dumb mouth! You'll see!"

His constant assurance that he knew exactly what he was talking about did nothing to reassure her and she was more confused than ever. She dreaded going out in public dressed head to toe in a man's clothing—then again, she knew no one would even know it was her to begin with.

And if they happened to run into Shino, he wouldn't be impressed or amused. His room was a mess and his closet utterly destroyed, and she swore she saw Kiba break a door handle as he ran up the stairs and threw Shino's door open in his rush.

The handle probably lay _somewhere_ under these coats…

"And when he starts asking questions, be sure to remember not to answer them. Just say something like 'Wouldn't _you _like to know?' in this sort of deeper voice, okay? I just know it'll work," Kiba told her, and she couldn't help but feel a little bad for doubting him.

He seemed so sure of himself and after all, who knew more about men than a man? Sort-of man.

Sighing softly, her shoulders sagged in defeat. And she silently hoped that agreeing to go along with his plans would at least bring a meal to her faster. That roll taken from Aburame-san's table seemed like a very long time ago…

"Kiba-kun, can we go eat now, please? I'm still very hungry…" Hinata chanced her way into a few seconds of quiet before Kiba could go off again on men and their fantasies of mysterious women they can't figure out.

If he would bother asking her, she would say that she didn't agree in the slightest and that it didn't make any sense to begin with in the first place.

"Hn? Oh, yeah, Hinata! Why didn't you say anything? You could have told me when we were leaving the restaurant!" he exclaimed, scratching the back of his head. She stared at him.

_It was no use_…

"Let's just… clean up here…" He began to look around at the avalanche he created as he spoke, his voice faltering in a way Hinata knew he wasn't willing to clean up after himself. He swiftly scooped a pile of clothes into his arms and looked around suspiciously before tossing them into the closet again. Hinata watched as he repeated the motion a few more times until Shino's room had relatively regained its previous appearance.

"There we go!" Kiba told her, wiping his hands together and shutting the closet door with a slam. There was a loud thundering after the slam; Kiba winced, but chose instead to ignore it. "Shall we?"

He could not see the pleading look on her face as he pushed her out of the room. She was right about that door handle…

She was beginning to feel the full extent of being clothed so. It was still very hot out, and being under the weight of long coats and hoods was not exactly helping to keep her cool. The sun and his arrogant rays beamed down on her and the air was stale. She tugged at the high neckline.

"Eh, Hinata? What's wrong?"

_Wouldn't you like to know?_ she thought, smiling to herself. "I'm just a little hot, that's all," she replied, deciding against the sarcastic comment that didn't seem right to say aloud. Her voice was muffled against cloth.

"Ah, I know… it's been so hot since noon. But we'll find a nice restaurant to cool off in. How about Ichiraku's? There's a chance we'll meet up with the idiot!"

She sighed, though barely, and nodded in agreement, though slightly unwilling. Wiping her forehead of sweat, she sighed again.

They continued to walk down the street and Hinata continued to breathe heavily under her clothes. If she could only take down the hood, at least it would be a little better. But the Ichiraku ramen stand was coming up in the distance; she could bare the heat for a little longer.

Kiba snickered. "There he is, I knew it!" he whispered to Hinata behind his hand. "Now, remember: '_Wouldn't you like to know?_'!"

Her heart began hammering against her chest as her eyes came to fall upon Naruto. Kiba had been right; Naruto sat at the counter swallowing soup noodles as fast as he could. Kiba began his strut towards the stand, but Hinata could not push herself to move a step closer in the same direction.

After a few silent minutes, Kiba realized Hinata was no longer at his side, nor was she even right behind him. He glared at her retreating form before running to catch her, throwing her over his shoulder—against her somewhat violent protests—and walking back towards the ramen shop.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with you…" he sighed as they reached the shop. He placed her down on the ground, holding onto her elbow firmly. "A seat?"

Hinata sat down in the seat beside Naruto with a thud. Her eyes were now wide with terror as she stared ahead, playing with her fingers for lack of anything else to do. Kiba sat in the seat on the other side of Naruto and forcefully thumped him on the back.

"Yo, you gonna slow down there?"

Naruto looked up quickly, his mouth still full of noodles, his chin dripping with soup. "Ah? Kiba? What are you doing here?"

Kiba looked at Hinata expectantly, urging her on with his wild grin.

Hinata stared at him; her throat wouldn't work for her and her heart was pounding so loudly she swore Naruto could hear it and she was still very hot under Shino's clothes. After a series of failed attempts at opening her mouth, speaking actual words, and hearing the responses, she seemed to lose complete track of anything that happened after that.

The last she remembered, she was staring at Naruto and Kiba, trying to get her throat to work and suddenly, all was dark. 

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I love me some reviews. I chow down on them for breakfast!


	3. Grilled Salmon

**Author's Note**: It's the third! And still going strong. Arigatou for the support! Your reviews make me happy on the inside. And I DO reply to every single one, so… (Haha, sometimes I'm so shameless. XD)

**Disclaimer**: Naruto belongs to Kishimoto-sensei. The chibi Naruto stickers belong to me! Yes, they're adorable beyond BELIEF. 

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**Pardon Me**…  
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It was so dark and so hot and she didn't know where she was anymore. All she could hear was quick movement. Then it was silent.

There was a ringing in her ears and then it was gone.

Silence.

It was almost immediately broken by chains of words, but they were too fuzzy for her to understand anything. She knew she could hear Kiba's loud babble. Nothing made sense.

Her heart was beating fiercely, that much she knew. It pounded in her chest and if Naruto was still there, maybe he'd notice and maybe he'd ask about it. _Then_ what would she do?

She could make a run for it… she had gotten pretty fast over the years, after all. No one would call her slow. Maybe Naruto couldn't keep up with her anymore. How would she know?

"Why is she wearing all these clothes in this heat? I didn't even know it was her."

The words were finally clear to her? Her cheeks felt hot when she realized that Naruto was still there and he was probably looking _over_ her as she lie on the… floor?

"You don't understand a thing, Naruto."

There was a huff that followed.

She silently wished the floor—she knew it was the floor of the ramen shop by now—would open and take her away. Her senses were no longer fuzzy; in fact, they had grown sharper by each passing second and she was soon very aware of the situation surrounding her.

She had fainted in front of _Naruto_.

Could she run? Would they notice?

"I don't understand why she's wearing Shino's clothes!"

She chanced opening her eyes, though slowly. Peering through half-lidded eyes might dull the blow. As she thought, Kiba and Naruto knelt by her side, glaring at each other. Kiba's teeth were ground together.

The familiar electricity was sparkling angrily between them.

Ceiling, she was staring at white ceiling and there were glimpses of signs with red characters advertising the new ramen flavor.

Grilled salmon… didn't sound bad…

She wasn't here, she wasn't here, lying on the floor after _fainting_. How could she faint at a time like this?

They felt her stir; both swooped down on her, asking her questions along the lines of "Are you okay?!" and others, and her cheeks and her hands and everything else was so hot…

"Hinata, you're wearing too much. You need to take this off," Naruto said—though he was being serious, Hinata could not help but feel uncomfortable—as he tugged on her large sleeve.

"Um…" She pulled herself up to a sitting position and wiped her forehead; her hand was wet with cold sweat. She was roasting.

He stared at her. "Look, your cheeks are all red! Take off these clothes! It's too hot for Shino's big coat!" he pleaded. "Why are you wearing so much?"

She wondered vaguely if he could hear himself speak such things and she was so embarrassed; he was making her more embarrassed by the second, with his talk and his pulling on her buttons and her sleeve.

Her stomach was getting very skilled in floating acrobatics.

Kiba hadn't spoken a word since she opened her eyes, but she could feel some sort of something radiating off him and she knew his plan could not be cast aside because she _fainted_. She gulped, though not loudly, and stared pointedly at Naruto.

She reached a hand to the side of her face. Kiba wanted her to say it. Kiba believed it would help her. His intentions were good…

"Wouldn't—wouldn't you l-like to know?"

It did not come smoothly, but what was done, was done.

She almost faltered under his stare. Though he did not take his eyes off her, he did not say a word—it was clear he was thoroughly confused by her "mystery."

"Eh? Of course I want to know! That's why I asked!"

Kiba took it upon himself to stand up quickly and grab Hinata's hands, pulling her to her feet. "Ch!" he threw at Naruto and dragged Hinata out of the shop. She was not, however, unwilling to go.

--

Her hood had fallen—perhaps when she fainted from the overbearing heat—but she decided to keep it down, even going so far as to undoing the top buttons of Shino's coat. She sighed.

"YAHOO!"

"AH!"

Kiba's sudden yelp scared her, badly. She had screamed in response and her breath had quickened too fast and now she was trembling, wringing her hands together.

He rubbed her back, grinning apologetically. "But you see, Hinata? With his questions and that dumb look on his face and his… questions! He's definitely interested. Ha! Told ya I know what I'm doing."

She was, _again_, completely unsure, but Kiba sounded very convinced he was the greatest thing to walk the streets of Konoha on a very sweltering day. Not that he didn't do that every day or anything.

His arm was tossed around her shoulders again. "Yeah, you see, it's like we've tossed a line. So we keep going and going and then…?" He offered her the chance of finishing his sentence.

Hinata furrowed her brow, scratching her cheek with a finger. "Uh… how did you call it? Reel him in?"

"THAT'S RIGHT! He won't know what hit him!" He pumped his fist and smirked wildly.

She sighed again.

He was taking her in the direction of his house—"where the magic happens," as he declared, "where he's in his _mood_." It confused her, no doubt, but she knew better than to question. He was quietly formulating new plans in his head. Perhaps she could hear in the inner gears of his mind at full speed…

He walked quickly into his house, yelled something to his sister and trampled up the stairs to his room, _loudly_. Hana-chan didn't say anything, of course. She was beyond used to it.

While she followed closely behind him, she noticed he had gone into his mindless babbling again and she could not understand a word, but she knew it had something to do with other strange fantasies men had.

They walked into his room and he closed the door behind her.

--

It was making her nervous, but she watched him pace around his room; she noticed it was particularly _clean_, and reasoned that it probably wasn't him who kept it that way.

After all, it was usually a mess of clothes and dirty socks and it smelled awful. She sighed gratefully, subconsciously tugging at her collar. She knew she wouldn't be able to bear stuffiness _and _smell.

"Hinata!"

She jumped in her seat and frowned. Would he ever stop doing that? He had stopped his pacing to look at her, his eyes wide and he was _crazy_.

"Can you cook?" he asked, holding her shoulders and grinning.

Could she cook? She didn't think she had ever tried… Her father had never allowed her to be in the kitchen, just in case she spilled something or burned the manor down. But still… how hard could it be, right? She watched the servants before. Cooking looked easy enough.

The doorknob shook in vain; it was locked. There was a knock at the door. "Kiba!"

"Whaat?" Kiba whined in response.

"Shino-kun's here!" they heard his sister yell with one last knock.

"Oh _no_." 

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**A/N**: Reviewing does a body good! Makes bones strong. And… calcium, un…


	4. The Way Hinata Dresses

**Author's Note:** Arigatou! I love all the reviews very much. And I apologize for being a college student… in the middle of midterms month.

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Naruto or Kishimoto-sensei's crazy sense of (good) storytelling. READ THE MANGA! And I have no new Naruto merchandise to brag about, either :

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**Pardon Me…**  
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"Are you angry? _Ohh_, you're angry, aren't you?"

"He's angry, Kiba-kun. He's not saying anything…"

"Shino! Say something! Here, buggy, buggy…"

"Kiba-kun!"

"I'm not helping, am I?"

Shino's tall figure was very intimidating; he stood in front of the two, his hands neatly placed in his pockets, dark sunglasses and his long coat covering any way of knowing what was going on in his head.

It was enough to frighten Kiba into calling him _buggy_.

He shifted ever so slightly, leaning down towards Hinata and tilting his head to the side—who perhaps was not as afraid as Kiba was at that moment. He was staring at her from behind those glasses, she _knew_ it.

She could not know what he would say.

"Why are you wearing my clothing, Hinata?" Shino asked, his voice deep and expressionless.

Expressionless was most terrifying.

Kiba and Hinata quickly looked at each other.

"It started—"

"He said—"

"And then we—"

"But I _told_ him—"

"I'm trying to _help_—"

"_Trust _me, he said—!"

"And then she—"

"And I'm still very hungry—"

Kiba and Hinata both broke out into incomprehensible stammers as they stuttered and talked over each other and pointed and pulled on her—Shino's—coat and attempted to explain themselves, failing miserably.

They had been talking for five minutes without going in any direction except perhaps backward.

Hinata thought that if Shino's glasses were off, he would have been merely blinking in response. There was no way he could take them seriously.

They trailed off into silence, their arms falling lamely to their sides.

"You don't make sense," he replied to their stammers. He paused before asking again, "Why are you wearing my clothing?"

He could have been shouting, really. Kiba would have preferred if he shouted at them, instead of this distant, impassive questioning and his one-liner comments. It was suddenly very cold, though Hinata probably wasn't cold at all, he realized sadly.

He _was_ feeling guilty for her passing out at the ramen shop. He hadn't planned on that; he had to drag her away from Naruto as quickly as he possibly could when the plan began to backfire on him…

"I—I've decided to help Hinata-chan," Kiba swallowing a painful lump that had lodged itself in his throat. He scratched the back of his head in an air that was off-hand.

Shino was silent. Then, "Help her with what, exactly? She dresses fine." His words came out slowly.

Kiba laughed nervously, feeling suddenly out of place; his arm had not left the back of his head. "No, I know, I know. I'm helping her—well, you see… I'm…"

Why did it sound so _stupid_ in his head?

Why couldn't he come up with something _intelligent_ to say?

Why did Shino assume he didn't like the way Hinata dressed?

"You know how she's always so nervous around that idio—Naruto, yeah? I'm going to—I _am_ helping her…" He trailed off stupidly.

"So… why is she wearing my clothing?"

Kiba took a deep breath. _What did he have to lose?_ "Well, I've been thinking about all the things that men like about women, and the first thing I thought of was a woman who is mysterious and… and then I thought of you and your… coats and I thought it would be a good idea if Hinata wore one of your coats, so Naruto would notice her and maybe like her back, or know she existed, whichever comes first…"

He appeared to be looking from Kiba to Hinata and back again; his head moving as he was taking in Hinata drowning in a coat that was so obviously too large for her, he wondered how she managed to walk. And Kiba with his grin, though he was nervous—_that_ was obvious too.

They didn't seem to breathe as they watched him as well…

And this plan of Kiba's… didn't make any sense to him either.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're an idiot."

"_Shino_…" Kiba whined, covering the left side of his face with a hand. "You're so _blunt_…"

"You think Naruto-kun will like Hinata if she's wearing my clothing?"

The derision in his voice was apparent.

Kiba frowned. "But it sounds so stupid when you say it that way."

Shino paused. "But… it is stupid."

His shoulders slumped; he was noticeably dejected at Shino's lack of support for his once seemingly brilliant plan…

"Way to put things in perspective for me, Shino," Kiba retorted sarcastically. He dug his big toe into the carpet, moving his foot around and staring at it.

Hinata stepped forward. Her hands were so completely covered with cloth but the other two knew her too well; she was fiddling with her fingers. She tugged on the high collar of the coat. "Um, Shino-kun…"

He turned towards her after taking his eyes off of Kiba's gloom.

"I don't think it is so bad of an idea… I mean, I was worried at first, but it doesn't seem so bad. Although I haven't eaten in a very long time and I passed out and I'm hot under these clothes and ran away from Naruto-kun again and—"

"Okay!" Kiba exclaimed, holding his head in his hands. "I'll admit the first wasn't such a good idea. I get it! But my next one is so good, that idio—Naruto will be _trailing_ you like a lost puppy!"

His eyes were alight again, all traces of misery vanishing completely. Hinata smiled apologetically at Shino.

"We gotta get started." He was thinking out loud. "There's so much to do! So much to prepare for… yeah…" He walked to the door and pulled it open, muttering to himself and leaving Shino and Hinata behind.

Shino turned to face Hinata. "When this doesn't work, you let me know, Hinata."

"Perhaps I just have faith in him," Hinata replied and left the room quickly to follow after Kiba.

He stared after her. There was a strange sensation in the bottom of his stomach. A chuckle quickly escaped his lips. Taken aback, he cleared his throat, deciding to pretend it never happened.

And he thought of Hinata in his clothes and Kiba's silly idea of women and his "plan." He chuckled again, this time louder and harder to suppress.

It was mere seconds before his chuckles grew in crazed laughter that was unleashed as though it had been held up for a long time, which he thought was most definitely the case. He held onto Kiba's bedroom wall for support as tears slid down his cheeks.

He was struggling to breathe. His body was racked with hilarity of the situation Kiba had managed to get Hinata into and the laughter would not stop. It was treading the line of being maniacal…

But his cheeks and his stomach hurt, and the laughter was soon under control. He stood up straight and cleared his throat again, loudly, and coughed.

_It couldn't possibly work_, he told himself. _It was _ridiculous_. Inuzuka Kiba_…

He closed the bedroom door behind him. After saying a farewell to Hana, he walked out of the house. He caught a glimpse of Kiba and Hinata standing together down the street. Kiba was flailing his arms around while Hinata smiled, though her cheeks were red with embarrassment, and nodded.

_It couldn't…_

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**Author's Note**: I could love Shino forever. (:

Reviews… warm the soul and bring the world together in joy and love.


	5. Funny Family Stories

**Author's Note**: Thank you so much for the support! It really does mean a lot to me. Your reviews make me so happy, particularly when I read them after being somehow screwed by my university, ha! By the way, **I apologize for the lack of updates recently**. The weeks fly by. Gomen.

Disclaimer: I no own. Aw, and I don't have any merch to brag about either!  
Naruto belongs to that should-be-declared-insane Kishimoto-sensei. 

**Pardon Me…  
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She had never seen anything so utterly beautiful in her life.

It probably wasn't okay for anything to be that _wonderful_, that perfect, but it was there, calling to her. And she wouldn't let it ever leave her sight if she could. It would remain there, shining with all its magnificence.

Damn anyone who would dare to get in her way!

Bits of bread and meat flew around her as she attacked the table greedily, shoveling any and all types of food into her mouth, unaware of the stunned Inuzuka Kiba who stared at her with wide eyes.

Her teeth made a chomping sound as she bit into a buttered roll.

Kiba made a mental note to never keep her from food again, as he was now completely dumbfounded as to what poor Hyuuga Hinata was capable of when severely hungry.

He was _scared_ of her.

And he kept his hands to himself, made no attempt to stop her crazed devouring of his mother's cooking. Even though he knew his mother wouldn't be happy in the slightest—and he would probably have to prepare another dinner for the entire family later on…

He sighed, though, acknowledging it _was_ his fault in the first place… he had just gotten overly excited at his most amazing and foolproof plan. He only wanted to help after all.

A blob of jam hit his cheek and began sliding down his skin.

She finally slowed down, though Kiba had taken to leaning against his kitchen wall and people-watching out of his window, and tapping his foot.

Somehow, he noticed the pretty pink tint on her cheeks and that smile that meant she had made herself—or her stomach—very happy. He shook his head.

"Heh, sorry 'bout that, Hinata. Are you better now?" he asked, pushing himself off the wall, with his foot, no less. His mother was going to _kill_ him… but he had other things to take care of.

She nodded vigorously, wiping her small mouth daintily. He thought it was funny after the way she attacked his family's dinner, but he didn't comment on it.

"Much better, Kiba-kun, thank you."

He nodded walking over to her. "Good. Because I've got a new idea and I'm _positive_ it'll work this time. Yeah, the whole mysterious thing didn't quite work—and I'm sorry! But this will. Every real man wants a funny girl." He crossed his arms over his chest and grinned at her.

She gulped down the last of the food. "Funny?"

He clapped her on the shoulder, wincing quickly at the table, empty of everything except crumbs. His grin returned without a hitch. "Yeah, funny! You have to be able to make him laugh, right?"

"I do?" Her small voice expressed her uneasiness at his suggestion. Again.

Kiba couldn't doubt he deserved uneasiness, though, after the result of his last 'brilliant idea.'

His arms wrapped around her, bringing her back closer into his chest. His heart pounded, but he ignored the strange feeling. "Sure you do! You have jokes, don't you? Or a funny story? Of course you do!"

"_I do_?"

"Yeah!" He released her to pace around the table, tapping his finger to his lips as he walked. He opened his mouth, but closed it again at the dismissal of _that_ idea. "Don't you have any funny family stories? Any time Neji did something crazy, or… _something_?"

She stared at him when he stopped. The kitchen clock seemed to tick very loudly. "Kiba-kun, I'm sorry, but… Are you hearing yourself?"

Kiba looked at her, an eyebrow raised. "Eh? Oh! You're right, what am I thinking?" he replied, scratching the back of his head nervously and laughing.

_Nervous? Nervous? _he thought quickly.

"Kiba-kun?" She was fiddling with her fingers again.

"We could always go to someone to give you some jokes… like… like… Lee! Yeah, he's always got a good story, he always makes me laugh. Let's go see Lee!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together once before placing them on his hips.

She nodded, her fingers still tangled together as she fidgeted in her discomfort. "Um, Kiba-kun… is it okay if we continue with your plan tomorrow? I'm very tired and it is getting very late…"

He had taken to pacing again, plotting in his mind and possibly scaring her with the potential ways of carrying out his plan. "What? Oh, yeah, that's fine! Do you want me to walk you home or anything? Pack you some food?"

Hinata shook her head forcefully. "No, it's only a few streets away, thank you." She began to make her way out of the room and towards the front door, with Kiba following quickly behind her.

He reached to the door first and opened it for her. A gust of cold wind bit at their faces once it was completely open.

She looked from outside to Kiba. "Thank you for today, Kiba-kun." Her hand gently touched the side of his arm. "For all your help."

He nodded, dumbly, in his own opinion. "Y—yeah, sure. Sorry about the… clothes thing."

Hinata laughed, her laugh soft and ringing in his ears and his mind. She thanked him again before leaving and closing the door behind her. He stood there for a long time, staring at the dark wood in front of him, before he could speak.

"What the hell."

Something was definitely wrong.

"_Kiba!_"

He winced at the sound of his sister's voice. "Crap."

- - -

Exactly an hour later, Kiba dragged his tired feet up the stairs to his room, after re-preparing the entire family meal that he had first given to Hinata. His bed had never been softer against his head before that very moment.

Kiba hadn't even bothered turning the light on.

He sighed loudly into his pillow, wrapping an arm around it and bringing it closer to him. His fingers latched onto the blanket and he pulled it over his body, enjoying the warmth that enveloped him.

He sighed again.

He was exhausted, it was true, but a nagging voice at the back of his head kept repeating to him, '_It was worth it, it was worth it to see her smile_.' Ever since Hinata closed the door.

And although he could not help but agree with it, it continued to be a nagging feeling he had never previously encountered and could not understand.

_He wanted to help her with Naruto_.

That's what he was doing this for, trying to find a way for Naruto to see her. Not for himself, not even for Naruto, but for _her_.

It was true, it was true he wanted to help her. He wanted to see her happy, no matter what it took to get there, no mater what it was. If she wanted Naruto to see her, Kiba would make it happen. _Somehow_.

Because even in her moment of sheer happiness at the sight of food, she was beautiful.

What was _wrong _with him? Was something wrong with him?

He wanted to help her with Naruto, yet at the same time… he could not understand this feeling. Somewhere, a part of him longed for her to want to be with him instead.

Laughing quietly, he turned over in his bed.

Something was _definitely _wrong.

* * *

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